June 27, 2008 by Willis.

“Although Wolf Parade’s principal members have kept busy with various side projects (Sunset Rubdown, Handsome Furs, Swan Lake), it’s been a few years since the Montreal band’s last output of new material. But the time between now and its 2005 Sub Pop debut, “Apologies to the Queen Mary,” allowed the group to more fully develop its sound. “At Mount Zoomer” expands upon the bits-and-pieces pop approach of its debut into a solid set of rock songs. Highlights include the shift from taut opening guitar lines into a woozy bridge heard on “Soldier’s Grin,” the pounding piano and keyboard-led breakdown of “Language City,” the superb dark rock anthem “California Dreamer” and “Kissing the Beehive,” which finds Wolf Parade pulling out all the stops for a sprawling 11-minute epic. —Jill Menze”

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June 27, 2008 by Willis.

“It sounds weird to say about a band of brainiac 40-somethings well into their second decade of work, but the Offspring makes an argument for its evolution—and, indeed, relevance—on this ambitious eighth disc, which is utterly devoid of pranksters, fly white guys or summer-barbecue anthems. Sure, the snot-rocket punk band putting on its big-boy clothes thing has been done before, and the Offspring don’t quite live up to the “American Idiot” here. Lyrically, Dexter Holland focuses more on big-ticket targets in the “shit is fucked up” sort of vein, and producer Bob Rock conjures standard rock crunch on tracks like “A Lot Like You” and the Snow Patrol-channeling “Fix You.” There are potent moments like the rise-and-fall ballad “Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?” and the fierce “Nothingtown,” but “Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace” sounds more like a tentative step in the Offspring’s new direction. —Jeff Vrabel”

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June 27, 2008 by Willis.

“On Silver Jews’ “Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea” lead Jew David Berman channels his inner Shel Silverstein, serving up a set of shiny, country-fried children’s songs for adults. Berman’s back from the brink and instead of looking inward, he spends much of these 35 minutes proffering colorful moral fables that confront America’s obsession with the superficial. At the center of his tales stand party barges, candy jails and “longtime guzzler[s] of hydrogenated crap.” But fanciful settings, odd protagonists and smart-as-a-whip rhymes notwithstanding, there is a wispy, twee quality to many of these songs, and ultimately the most affecting are those that sport the emotional and anthemic heft of the best Jews material, especially the wry yet achingly lonely “Suffering Jukebox” and the darkly dreamy “My Pillow Is the Threshold.” A warm, enjoyable effort, but perhaps short on the Jews’ best asset: Berman himself. —Susan Visakowitz”

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June 26, 2008 by Willis.

“When G. Love & Special Sauce released their self-titled debut in 1994, the Philadelphia trio created a distinctive new recipe for beat-driven summer chill-out music. “Superhero Brother” demonstrates further seasoning, as frontman/songwriter Garrett “G. Love” Dutton adds reflections on politics and fatherhood to his unique and variable hip-hop/blues formula that otherwise pays tribute to funk music, weed and blueberry pie. Bright guitar hooks, expansive piano and Jimi “Jazz” Prescott’s driving bass create tracks like “Wiggle Worm” and “Georgia Brown” that are as engrossing as they are stress-reducing. With only vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica, the title track shows off G. Love’s solo chops, as well as his fantasies to end wars and save whales. A choice cold beverage for a warm-weather buzz.—Evie Nagy”

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June 26, 2008 by Willis.

“When “Exile in Guyville” was released in 1993, its lo-fi sound and frank lyrics about female sexuality and desire were seen by many as revolutionary. Fifteen years later, the pendulum has swung so far the other way that ditties about oral sex and girls kissing girls top the pop chart and can be heard while shopping at the drugstore. But “Guyville” stands the test of time simply because, while the shock value might have diminished, the intelligence and soulfulness with which Liz Phair sings about these topics remains unparalleled. The rerelease contains three bonus tracks; only one of them, the mournful “Ant in Alaska,” is worth multiple listens. Phair also took it upon herself to “return to Guyville” and make a movie about it; while there are some funny moments on the DVD (”rouge-ing” nipples, anyone?), most of it seems extraneous. Most of the time, you just shouldn’t mess with perfection. —Cortney Harding”

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June 25, 2008 by Willis.

“After gaining recognition for backing Jenny Lewis on her 2006 solo debut, “Rabbit Fur Coat,” the Watson Twins make a move to the forefront with their first Vanguard album. The set follows in the same folksy vein as the Louisville, Ky., natives’ work with Lewis, touching on elements of country, folk and pop, and highlights the twin sisters’ warm, delicate harmonies and hooky choruses. The songs range from the playful guitar and piano of “How Am I to Be” to slow-burners like the countrified “Lady Love Me” and torch song “Only You.” Horn flourishes liven up “Map to Where You Are,” and the twangy, harmonica-laced cover of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” is gentle and intimate. “Fire Songs” proves the Watson Twins are a strong songwriting team, and one that has earned its time in the spotlight. —Jill Menze”

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June 25, 2008 by Willis.

“Around for more than a year, Sam Sparro’s “Black & Gold” has created the kind of viral buzz you can’t buy. It’s a Gershwin-meets-Goldfrapp song of tragic love, delivered by Sparro with a plaintive soulfulness that breaks hearts. On his debut self-titled full-length, the Australian-born, Los Angeles-residing singer/songwriter doesn’t try to repeat “Black,” because he doesn’t have to: He can do it all. “Too Many Questions” beats Jamiroquai at its own game, getting closer to the essence of Stevie Wonder. “Sick” brings back the synth-washed narcissism of ’80s Depeche Mode better than the band itself can. Even Prince gets punked: “Sally”—an ode to a stripper—is so funky it’s downright purple. But the best part of Sparro is that he’s not just multiplying old styles by new sounds. Dressed like a raver B-boy, switching between Rufus Wainwright and D’Angelo, the boy’s not faking it. —Kerri Mason”

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June 24, 2008 by Willis.

“On his latest solo album, Ry Cooder intones, “Time is all you got,” and it’s the ravages of time that have informed the California trilogy he wraps up with “I, Flathead.” But while 2005’s “Chavez Ravine” and last year’s “My Name Is Buddy” pondered losses—of places, communities, solidarity—”I, Flathead” takes us back to a time gone by, when California was in the early throes of modern development. The fictitious singer/ songwriter Kash Buk and his band the Clowns provide the aural travelogue of the Golden State. Buk and company take us to Bakersfield (”Johnny Cash,” “Spayed Cooley”), the Mexican border (”Filipino Dance Hall Girl,” “My Dwarf Is Getting Tired”) and the beatnik clubs (”Flathead One More Time,” “Can I Smoke Here?”). It’s a wild ride through another place and time, but Cooder keeps a steady, and trustworthy, hand on the wheel.—Gary Graff”

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June 23, 2008 by Willis.

“As elder statesmen of hair metal, Mötley Crüe’s first full album with its original lineup in more than a decade could have been a sedate affair engineered to appeal to the 30- and 40-somethings who worshipped the band when it ruled the Sunset Strip. Instead, all guns are blazing on this ballad-free ninth album. The band’s signature blues/punk/ glam blend remains intact, but the act sounds hungrier than it has since 1989’s “Dr. Feelgood.” Lyrically, the set serves as a soundtrack to autobiography “The Dirt,” with songs like “What’s It Gonna Take” and “Down at the Whiskey” chronicling Mötley’s rise to the top and “Welcome to the Machine” voicing frustration once there. While not every song is a winner, the title track and sleaze anthem “This Ain’t a Love Song” are standouts. —Bram Teitelman”

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June 22, 2008 by Willis.

“The past two decades have seen more than a few incarnations of German musical eclectic the Notwist. Its 1989 debut was driven by hardcore metal influences, making it just about the polar opposite of recent efforts like 2002’s “Neon Golden,” a dreamy, Technicolor lullaby. “The Devil, You + Me” follows in that album’s stunning panorama, combining Markus Archer’s hushed vocals and haunting harmonies with a slowly dissolving pace that progresses from the forward-rushing opening track “Good Lies” to the bare and ambling closer “Gone Gone Gone.” Throughout, eerie production touches (metallic clinks and synth bleeps on “Where in This World”) and organic sounds (acoustic guitars and glockenspiel on the title track) fit seamlessly to form the Notwist’s most charming and complex work to date.—Lavinia Jones Wright”

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June 21, 2008 by Willis.

“The English heavy-metal act’s second album since its reunion with iconic frontman Rob Halford is also its first concept set: a two-disc retelling of the life of Nostradamus, the 16th-century French prognosticator. If that sounds like a thrilling way to spend an hour and 40 minutes, you’ll probably love the music here, which reflects the album’s narrative ambition with a bigger, more flowery sound than on Halford’s comeback disc, Priest’s “Angel of Retribution” from 2005. (Expect acoustic guitars, strings and keyboards along with K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton’s usual battery of biker-bar riffs.) If, however, that description causes your eyelids to droop, “Nostradamus” isn’t likely to surprise you—this is softcore for the hardcore.—Mikael Wood”

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June 19, 2008 by Willis.

“They’ve got the commercial clout, but now they want the cred. On their fourth album, the members of Coldplay refract their gazillion-selling pop/rock through a more nuanced lens, drafting producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs to help them craft more diverse, experimental music. Radiohead they ain’t; “42″ sounds like three different songs awkwardly stitched together in ProTools, and often the layers of production seem to come at the expense of memorable melodies. Two of the best songs are instrumentals: opener “Life in Technicolor” is a propulsive heart-melter that deftly straddles the acoustic/electro divide, and the effects-drenched “Chinese Sleep Chant” finds Coldplay discovering its inner My Bloody Valentine. The rest is closer to the Coldplay we know: a competent blend of heavily orchestrated redemption songs (”Viva La Vida,” already the biggest hit of the band’s career), swirly arena rock (”Lovers in Japan”) and life-stinks-without-you ballads (”Strawberry Swing”) likely to resonate despite the new bells and whistles. —Jonathan Cohen”

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June 11, 2008 by Willis.

“Although the Fratellis saw major chart success in the United Kingdom with 2006’s “Costello Music,” the Glasgow, Scotland, band is best-known in the United States for its song “Flathead” being featured in an iTunes commercial. Back for round two, sophomore album “Here We Stand” doesn’t quite bring anything new to the table, but does carry on in the same fun, brash rock tradition of the debut. There’s no denying the high-energy infection of songs like “My Friend John,” “Shameless” and “Mistress Mabel” or the big, hooky choruses of “Lupe Brown” and jaunty piano rocker “A Heady Tale.” There’s a glam-rock swagger to “Acid Jazz Singer,” and the twangy “Baby Doll” offers a nice change in pace. Formerly, the Fratellis’ music was always good for a few drunken whoops and hollers, and with “Here We Stand,” it remains little more. —Jill Menze”

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June 11, 2008 by Willis.

“Thirteen years since the release of its well-hailed debut, Supergrass has gone from energetic, young and roughshod to energetic, veteran and polished. If 2005’s somber “Road to Rouen” gave the impression the band was toning down its rock energy, then “Diamond Hoo Ha” squarely refutes the idea. Opener “Diamond Hoo Ha Man” introduces the record with a propulsive guitar riff, punctuated with frontman Gaz Coombes’ yelps (”Bite me!” he exclaims, leading into the choruses). The established uptempo mood is not let down by blistering rocker “Bad Blood” and the Bowie-by-way-of-Franz Ferdinand romp “Rebel in You.” Odd song textures are found on closer “Butterfly” (austere, pulsating arena-rock) and “Rough Knuckles” (strutting, cinematic funk), and “345″ is the album’s most addictive cut, its verses simmering with taut rhythms and flirtatious basslines before exploding into exultant, reverby choruses. —Troy Carpenter”

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June 10, 2008 by Willis.

“No one ever envisioned Alanis Morissette penning the comfort guide to a harsh breakup, yet for electro-influenced “Flavors of Entanglement,” her clear-eyed look back, inward and forward is with a poise borne of time’s passing. She no longer prowls in search of vengeful hookups. After the finger-pointing “Straightjacket,” the singer declares “a respite from the toils of liaison” on transcendent ambient trip “Moratorium.” Chill-out track “Giggling Again for No Reason” gurgles with delicate happiness, and there’s room for throbbing masterstroke “Versions of Violence,” whose vibe compares to Delerium’s “Silence.” Every wall is torn down for vulnerable piano prayer “Not As We,” but plenty of hope is left for the uplifting “Incomplete.” Full of gratitude for being “ever unfolding, ever expanding, ever adventurous,” Morissette’s superb lyrics leave you cheering for her—and assured that she’s going to be just fine. —Christa L. Titus”

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